Poor political leadership in Sierra Leone and economic growth and development from 1961 to 2020

Researchers have explored overdependence on mineral exploitation as one of the critical factors resulting in the low economy in Sierra Leone. There is still much research to be done regarding the effects of poor political leadership on the country's development. The recessing economy has for a long time attracted the concern of scholars and research institutions, but poor political leadership as a causative factor has not been focused on. The objective of this qualitative study was to investigate the effects of poor political leadership on the growth and development of Sierra Leone from 1961 to 2020. The theory of transformational leadership and the trait theory were adopted in the theoretical framework. Data collection was through personal interviews conducted online. The study used non probability purposeful sampling. A sample of six respondents was interviewed and secondary sources were also consulted. Data was analysed using a descriptive analysis. The findings revealed that a) the poor political leadership is the primary cause of socioeconomic challenges in the country. b) Poor leadership resulted in civil war which had a detrimental effect on human resources and development. c) There is prevalence of corruption in the country which has resulted in wealth disparity hence a huge population of the country live in abject poverty. d) The poor political leadership has resulted in ineffective service delivery in the public sector, the stalemate of projects and improper budgetary allocation for projects. e)There are also low levels of employment among the youth due to poor political leadership. Unemployment has led to low living standards among the youth. The implications for a socioeconomic change include export diversification, participatory governance, participatory budgeting and policies for greater openness, to combat corruption and improve the leadership of the country for economic growth and development.